The Boy Who Was
by icepixie
Summary: (FINISHED) An alternative ending to Peter Pan, for people like me who wished for the ending they deserve. Read, review and enjoy!
1. End

**A/N:** Just an alternative "what if" ending that came to my mind after watching the film.  Feedback would be great. :)

(Oh and I'd like to recommend two particularly excellent stories on this site.  It's "Growing Young" by chloe3, which is absolutely superb, and "Eternal Childhood: The True Ending" by Animekidd1, whose ending I really love.) 

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything from Peter Pan.  All credit goes to Mr. J.M. Barrie and the producers of the beautiful 2003 movie.  This is based on the film's ending.  

The Boy Who Was

"And the day came when the risk to remain in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." –Anais Nin

"Will you ever come back?"

"To hear stories… about me!"

And then he was gone.

Or so she thought.  Wendy Angela Moira Darling never saw him again—for the moment she accepted their fate, she changed.  She matured even more quickly in that one single moment than in the many months before when she should have.  Perhaps it was the cause of her long-overdue growth, or maybe it was the toll of embarking on that terribly big adventure that only a rare few were lucky enough to experience—we would never know.  All we know for sure is that the last she saw of Peter Pan was when he and the fairy Tinkerbell flew off into the night sky.

The tear that had been threatening to spill from her eyes spilled then.  Two delicate crystalline drops.  Whereas her mind had tucked away the happy days of childhood, placing it into a glass chest at the corner of her mind, her heart had not.  As was her kiss, it belonged to Peter, and forever will.

For a brief, flickering moment, she imagined that Peter came back, wiping away her tears before it fell.  But she knew it was only her imagination playing tricks on her.  She had wished for it so dearly that it seemed real. 

Her father was right.  It was time for her to grow up.

"I'm going to say goodbye now, Peter Pan," she whispered at last.  She would never forget him—the magical boy with the devilish grin and those sad, sad eyes.

"Wendy, Wendy!" John called from the room.  "Father, Mother, and Aunt Millicent would very much like to hear how we came to Neverland.  Will you tell us again, please?"

At this, Wendy pasted a smile on her face and joined back in the merry reunion of her family and the Lost Boys, which lasted late until morning.

---

But he was still there.  Peter changed his mind at the last moment, flying back to the window of the nursery with a reproachful Tink at his heels. 

"Impatient Tink.  It'll only be for a moment."

He didn't really know why he returned.  It was too risky.  He already said his goodbye, but he couldn't keep himself from having one last look. 

He arrived just in time to see the tears Wendy shed and felt the curious sensation of having his heart torn in two.  He didn't understand how she could not see him, even as he gently brushed away the wetness on her cheeks.

Then, she turned her back on him and hurried back to where she belonged. 

Peter's gaze followed her.  The Lost Boys surrounded Wendy's chair, sitting enraptured on the floor together with John, Michael and the rest of the family.  And Wendy, his Wendy, sat on a high chair, animatedly telling her stories of fearsome pirates, mysterious mermaids and the flying boy who ruled over them all.  She glowed as she spoke, looking every bit like the most beautiful of fairies.

"We can't both have her, lady."

The words he spoke not too long ago came back at him threefold, taunting him.  It pained him that he would now be alone in Neverland.  Oh, there was Tink and he could always find other Lost Boys, as well as new adventures.  After all, he was Peter Pan.  But it wasn't the same.  He would be lonely in a different way that he wasn't really sure of.

"I think it becomes clearer when you grow up." 

How he wished then and there that he could be by Wendy's foot, listening to the sound of her voice and receiving her sweet thimbles.  He could be like that everyday.  He could be with her forever.

But would he grow up for her?

"Would they send me to school?"

"Yes."

"And then… to an office?"

"I suppose so."

"Soon I shall be a man…"

No…

"I want always to be a boy and have fun."

And Neverland was fun.  That's why he was there.  He belonged there.  But then, would he truly be happy? 

Happiness and fun were two very different ideas.

"Old… alone… unloved…"

This last adventure changed him.  Drained him, really.  He was tired.  He didn't want to think anymore.  He didn't want to feel.  He was only a boy.  It wasn't fair!  Why can't he have everything?

Without meaning for it to, he was back at the pirate's ship, battling Hook for the last time.  His words haunted him.  "And there is another in your place…  He is called—Husband."

"Never!  I shan't allow it!  She will not!" He didn't realize that he had spoken the words out loud.  His eyes shone with unshed tears.  She couldn't betray him like that.  Not after her promise on the deck of the Jolly Roger. 

"This belongs to you and always will…" Wendy breathed into his ear. 

But he knew it wasn't entirely her fault.  She couldn't wait forever.  He wasn't there and Wendy would have to go on with her life.

Suddenly, Tinkerbell bit his arm, jolting him back to reality.

"Ow!" Peter rubbed the sore spot. "Why'd you bit me?"

The tiny fairy anxiously pointed to the rose-tinted sky.  Dawn.  Soon, it will be morning and everything will be as if it never was.  Things, after all, always looked better in the morning… didn't it?  Would it?

Tink was peering at his face curiously.  Two small blue orbs pierced his own.  Then, she gasped, backing away and shaking her head passionately. "Oh no!" she cried in her small high-pitched voice.  No words need to be spoken afterwards.  It was written all over her face: Was the invincible Peter Pan finally capable of love?

"Don't be silly, Tink," he said hoarsely, but his voice sounded different, even to himself.

"You say so, but I think that is your biggest pretend."

Then, the expression on the fairy's changed from one of shock to one of knowing and then later, of sadness.  She moved closer to Peter's ear and murmured something.

"You will always have Neverland."

Was it possible?  He turned to the window to give Wendy one last look, as if memorizing every inch of her.  He sighed.  He knew what he had to do.  It was the hardest thing he was ever going to do in his life, but it will probably be for the best, even if it was a risk.

"To live will be an awfully great adventure…"

"Come on, Tink.  It's time to go."

It will be one very long journey.

---

The train station was terribly crowded once Wendy and her family arrived from their short vacation, courtesy of the jewels Michael had gotten hold of during their adventures in Neverland.

Neverland…

It has been a year since.  No one really talks about that time anymore.  Occasionally, John, Michael or one of the Lost Boys would blurt out, "Oh, I remember this," or, "Do you recall…?"  But they rarely spoke of Peter Pan in front of Wendy.

Wendy always left the window open for him.  Always.  She was in her own room now and she never failed to remind the boys to open their window also.  Just in case, even if he never did came back.  It was hard for her to accept it, but she kept reminding herself that the chapter of Peter Pan in her story was over.  She has to move on.  She was living a different life now and she knew Peter also must have.

She took a deep breath of the crisp London air.  It was good to be home.  Her father had enrolled her to a more prestigious school, far different from the uptight girls' one she had studied before.   They had an enormous amount of money now, again, courtesy of the jewels.  She was actually looking forward to it.  Life was the biggest adventure of all, really.

Her eyes swept over the crowd.  And then… Her breath caught as she spotted a familiar tousled blond head in the crowds.  Could it be…?

"Peter!" she called impulsively.  The boy turned, not to Wendy, but to look at the train.  Wendy berated herself for being such a fool. 

It wasn't him.  It would never be him.

"But I was never to see Peter Pan again," Wendy scribbled at the back of her notebook. "And they will tell his stories to their children.   For all children grow up… except one."

She was in the middle of her class in her new school and the professor was droning on about their lessons.  She took that time for writing the last parts of her story, which she hoped would be published sometime in the future.  Before long, she became too absorbed in it that she failed to notice her professor stopping in mid-sentence to entertain a visitor.

He cleared his throat. "Ahh… we seem to have a new student.  Please, introduce yourself.  What is your name?"

"Sullivan, sir.  Peter Sullivan."

At the voice, Wendy's hand stopped automatically.  Her heart skipped.  It was too much to hope for.  She was too scared to hope.  Her ears were playing tricks on her.  That must be it.  Slowly, she brushed aside a lock of her hair and brought her head up.  She felt faint when she saw the very boy she had been seeing in her dreams forever.  The boy whom her kiss belonged to.

Peter Pan.

Gone was the disheveled appearance, the garment made of leaves and the knife at his side.  In its place was a proper young man, slightly older, in normal school attire but with the same piercing blue eyes and the still-tousled curls.

"Ahh yes, I see…" The professor consulted his clipboard. "Very well Peter, you may sit beside the unoccupied seat beside… um… Miss Wendy Darling.  Over there at the back."

The boy scanned the class and finally settled on her.  Their eyes met for a long meaningful moment.  Wendy dispelled all feelings of uncertainty.  It truly was him.  No words were exchanged but they understood each other.  She didn't know how or when or what happened, and it didn't matter.  She knew why. 

"I came back for you, Wendy.  I did what you wanted me to.  I grew up," his eyes read.  He flashed that terribly familiar grin of his and winked.

Wendy leaned back to his chair and exclaimed softly, "Oh, the cleverness of you!" 

Slowly, a smile blossomed in her face.


	2. What Happened After

Now, you must all be wondering what happened to everyone else.

Sensible John became the top of his classes and then the head of some prestigious bank or other.  He grew to be a fine English gentleman with lots of ideal prospects.  But he gave it all up to venture to the Americas, where he lived with and studied the culture of what fascinated him the most—Indians.

Michael enlisted in the First World War and became a decorated war hero.  He retired early and started a family at a rather late age.  He still has "Teddy" with him.

As for the Lost Boys, they tried to prolong their childhood as long as they could.  Sometimes, they would be seen running across the streets of London, whooping loudly, all dressed up in their animal skins.  However, they too grew tired of it as adult life finally caught up with them.  They strove to present themselves as proper gentlemen to the society and soon found themselves with a wife and a handful of kids.  They each built a house right next to each other, except for Nibs, who, along with his family, accompanied John to the Americas.  Last heard, he struck it rich in the oilfields of Texas.

Wendy never did see the boy she knew as Peter Pan again because it was a different Peter she met that day in London.  The transformation took a toll on him as he lost his memory of Neverland.  All he knew on the fateful day he saw Wendy was that he loved her from that moment on.  True, he still had his charm, his wit and his precocious character, but he was, in many ways, wiser.  He lived with a wealthy old gentleman who found him wandering on the streets a year before.  Mr. Sullivan became rather fond of the young man and left him everything when he died.

Peter learned about love and to love and agreed that it is truly the most delightful thing.  He and his Wendy married young.  Pretty soon, they had a daughter named Jane, a mischievous child who had her mother's beauty and penchant for storytelling.  She was followed by twins, Edward and Edmond, who took very much after their father.  Each night, their home would be filled with laughter, love, and stories from Neverland.  On some nights, Peter would feel a gentle tugging of memory; on others, he would feel a slight pang.  But at the end of the day, he felt like the happiest man on earth, and if ever he did recall his past, he never regretted his decision.

Some say that when Wendy and Peter reached a certain age in their life, Tinkerbell came back, sprinkled them with fairy dust, returned their youth and brought them back to their beloved Neverland.  A few would even swear that they had glimpses of the happy youths laughing, flying and dancing in the starry skies at night.  A more plausible story, perhaps, would be that they lived to a ripe old age and passed away, just like everyone else.  No one knows for sure, except that in time, Peter and Wendy faded into memory.

Now our story does not end there, for there were always children falling out of their carriages, unclaimed and brought to Neverland.  It was said that Jane and her brothers also had their share of time in Neverland when another strapping young lad who can fly entered their nursery and stole them away to the night.  Wendy and Peter were initially saddened, but they understood.  Eventually, Jane and her brothers did return, bringing back with them newer tales of adventure. 

In a way, Peter Pan never did grow up.  He remains as he was—the enchanting boy who can fly.  For generations and generations yet to come, their story will be handed down to a newer set of dreamers and adventurers.  Then they in turn would tell their story to their own children—for all children do grow up sooner or later—and the magic of Neverland goes on, so long as there are always children who dream and play and believe…

And they all lived happily ever after

**A/N: slickchick650: **Thanks!  It'd be cool if everyone stayed as children and lived in Neverland, but I wanted to make it a little credible and more real-life-like so I brought Peter to the "real world" where he really belonged in the first place.  Glad you liked it!**  TiggerLily130: **Hmm… it was supposed to be one-shot but I ended up writing this last chapter to sort of tie up loose ends.  I don't really think I could add more.  I'd rather read all the other fics about this since there are so many and beautifully-written ones too, although I haven't really read many yet.**  cheetahlee:  **Yeah, I do too!  But I'm sorry to say that this is just one-shot.  Or rather two-shot. :) Thanks so much for your review! ** AngelicPirate: **Added another chapter and hope you like this one too.**  tigerlynn: **Oh wow…A thousand thanks!  But again, I'm really sorry but I have to end here.  I don't know how to continue this really, and I'd like to stop before I start thinking up of really weird ideas and turn this into one complete mess.  I like this ending better. :)**  Philippa: **Exactly.  I was thinking that he can't really be two people at the same time.  He has to give up one thing or another.  That's life.  It's sad, but I'm thinking, it's also for the best.  As for "Parkes", lol.  It was a completely random thought.**  loving-legolas: **Thanks for the compliment!  I'm really glad that you thought of this that way. :)


End file.
